Section 113. Property Transfer Use and Occupancy Certificate.
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Section 113.1. Single-Family Owner-Occupied Dwelling Requirements. Upon transfer of title to a new owner, or upon said building becoming
vacant, no single-family dwelling shall be occupied, in whole or in
part, until the issuance of a certificate by the Code Enforcement
Officer. The following requirements must be met before a certificate
shall be issued:
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113.1.1 A fire extinguisher equipped with 2 1/2 pounds
ABC drypowder rating must be supplied for the dwelling mounted in
the kitchen on the wall near the exit doorway.
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113.1.2 All kitchens, bathrooms, powder rooms and laundry rooms,
or any garage and exterior outlets within six feet of a water source,
must be supplied with a ground-fault receptacle.
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113.1.3 All gas ranges must be supplied with shutoff valves
installed behind the range.
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113.1.4 All electrical ranges must have an outlet installed
at the rear of the range.
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113.1.5 The property must be in a clean, safe and sanitary condition.
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113.1.6 Before the issuance of the property transfer use and
occupancy certificate, a full buyer notification inspection shall
be conducted. The old owner must inform the new owner of all pending
violations and a letter of intent shall be signed by the buyer or
new owner. All violations must be corrected within 60 days upon transfer
of the title to the new owner.
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113.1.7 Upon failure of a property transfer to a new owner,
all listed violations shall be corrected within 60 days by the present
owner. Failure to abate said violations shall be subject to the penalties
set forth in Section PM106.4.
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113.1.8 Openings from a private garage directly into a room
used for sleeping purposes shall not be permitted. Other openings
between garages and residences shall be equipped with solid wood doors,
not less than one and three-eighths inches in thickness, solid or
honeycomb core steel doors not less than one and three eighths inches
thick, or twenty-minute fire-rated doors.
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Section 113.2. Single-Family, Two-Family and Multifamily
Dwelling Units. Upon transfer of title to a new owner, no single-family
rental unit, no two-family dwelling and no multiple dwelling shall
be occupied, in whole or in part, until the issuance of a property
transfer certificate of occupancy by the Code Enforcement Officer
that said structure conforms in all respects to the requirements of
this code. The following requirements must be met before a property
transfer certificate of use and occupancy shall be issued:
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113.2.1 Before the issuance of the said certificate of occupancy,
a full code compliance inspection shall be conducted. The old owner
must inform the new owner of all pending violations, and a letter
of intent shall be signed by the buyer or new owner and all violations
must be corrected within 60 days upon transfer of the title to the
new owner.
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113.2.2 Upon failure of a property transfer to a new owner,
all listed violations shall be corrected within 60 days by the present
owner. Failure to abate said violations shall be subject to the penalties
set forth in Section PM106.4.
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113.2.3 All hazardous building, safety, fire, plumbing and electrical
violations cited at the time of inspection by the Code Enforcement
Officer shall be corrected in the time specified by the Code Inspector.
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113.2.4 If the dwelling unit is serviced by an individual water supply, the water supply shall be terminated and the dwelling unit shall be connected to the available public water main as required in Part 4 of a chapter, adopting the International Plumbing Code.
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Section 113.3. Commercial, Office, Manufacturing and Industrial
Buildings. Upon transfer of title to a new owner, no commercial, office, manufacturing or industrial building shall be occupied, in whole or in part, until the issuance of a property transfer certificate of occupancy by the Code Enforcement Officer that said structure conforms in all respects to the requirements of this code, the Property Maintenance Code, the Fire Prevention Code and the Plumbing Code, and Chapter 27, Zoning, of the Pottstown Borough Code of Ordinances. The following requirements must be met before a property transfer certificate of use and occupancy shall be issued:
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Section 113.3.1. Before the issuance of the said certificate
of occupancy, a full code compliance inspection shall be conducted.
The old owner must inform the new owner of all pending violations,
and a letter of intent shall be signed by the buyer or new owner,
who will be responsible for the correction of the violations, which
must occur within 60 days of transfer of the deed to the new owner.
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Section 113.3.2. In the event that the property transfer does
not occur, the present owner must correct all listed violations within
60 days of the date on which the settlement on the property was to
have occurred. Failure to abate the listed violations shall subject
the present owner to the penalties set forth in this code and as prescribed
by the Code of Ordinances of the Borough of Pottstown.
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Section 113.3.3. All hazardous building, safety, fire, plumbing
and electrical violations cited at the time of inspection by the Code
Enforcement Officer shall be corrected in the time specified by the
Code Inspector.
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Section 113.4. Fees. The amount of the inspection
fees shall be established by Resolution adopted by Borough Council
from time to time.
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Section 113.5. Caretaker. In every multiple dwelling
in which the owner does not reside, there shall be a responsible person,
designated by the owner, residing on the premises whose duties, include
maintaining the commonly used parts of the premises.
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Section 113.6. Trash Collection. No trash or garbage
is to be set out for collection prior to 4:00 p.m. the night before
the scheduled pickup. All receptacles for the collection of garbage
and/or trash shall be removed from the curb of the various streets
adjacent to the property where the trash/garbage is accumulated prior
to 6:00 p.m. on the day of the actual pickup.
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Section 113.8. Commercial, Office, Manufacturing and Industrial
Units. All commercial, office, manufacturing and industrial
units that become vacant or have a change of occupant must be inspected
for code compliance prior to reoccupancy of the said unit. It is the
responsibility of the owner or the owner's agent to arrange for such
inspection. Prior to reoccupancy of the said unit, all code violations
must be corrected and a rental license must be issued.
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Section 113.9. Delinquent Water, Sewer, Waste Collection
and Disposal Bills for All Rental Units to be Paid. All outstanding
bills for water, sewer and waste collection and disposal, and clean
and lien services, for any residential, commercial, office, manufacturing
and industrial rental unit, that are more than 30 days' delinquent
shall be paid in full prior to the issuance of a rental license.
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Section 113.10. Short-Term Rental Units. All rooming houses, hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts or similar facilities that house people, property or business on a short-term basis where different people occupy a unit for a period of time of one month or less shall be inspected for code compliance once a year, unless such unit is exempt pursuant to § 204 of Chapter 11. It is the responsibility of the owner or the owner's agent to arrange for such inspection and to pay the fee therefor, which fee shall be established from time to time by resolution of the Borough Council. An annual license shall be issued for the short-term rental facility, provided that a minimum of 75% of the individual units comply with all Borough codes. Certificates of occupancy will be issued for individual units, and any individual unit that does not comply with all Borough codes will not receive a certificate of occupancy and shall not be occupied until all code violations have been corrected and a certificate of occupancy has been issued.
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Section 113.11. Absentee Landlords to Designate Authorized
Agent. All owners of rental property (landlords) who do not
reside in Montgomery County, Chester County or Berks County, Pennsylvania,
shall designate, in writing, an authorized agent, who resides within
one of the three aforesaid counties, who shall be responsible for
receiving all notices issued by the Borough pertaining to the rental
property. The landlord shall also provide, in writing, the business
address and telephone number of the person or entity that the landlord
designates as its authorized agent.
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Section 113.12. Sanitation. All exterior property and premises shall be maintained clean, safe, sanitary and free from any accumulation of rubbish or garbage. Interior-type furniture which would be adversely affected by the elements and/or susceptible to fire and/or infestation by insects, rats or other vermin is prohibited from being placed outside of structures. Such prohibited furniture shall include but not be limited to upholstered couches and chairs or other fabric- covered articles not designed or intended for exterior use. When the Code Enforcement Officer determines that prohibited or abandoned furniture is located in an exterior property area, the Code Enforcement Officer shall cause the owner or other responsible person to be notified in accordance with § 215 of Chapter 1, Administration and Government, of this Code. If the prohibited or abandoned furniture is not removed within the time frame set forth in the notice, the Borough may cause the abandoned or prohibited furniture to be removed and the owner to be billed for the cost thereof in accordance with the provisions of this Code. If the cost of removal is not paid within 15 days, the Borough may impose a lien for the cost of said removal in a manner provided by law.
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304.3 Premises Identification. Buildings shall
have approved address numbers placed in a position to be plainly legible
and visible from the street or road fronting the property and to the
rear of properties visible from alleys and half streets. These numbers
shall contrast with their background. Address numbers shall be arabic
numerals or alphabet letters. Numbers shall be a minimum of four inches
high with a minimum stroke width of 0.5 inch.
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